edwards. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank all of our witnesses today and particularly thank secretary lahood. i understand it's your birthday. i don't think i would've chosen to spend my birthday with you, but i'm glad you've chosen to spend your birthday with us. particularly to the chairman for holding this hearing and discussion today about high-speed rail. we had a chance to begin a half ago to go up to new york and less amtrak, but it just took forever. i do share your view and that of ms. norton that we have a really densely populated corridor in the north east that requires her best development of high-speed rail. i don't think that has to be, nor should it be at the exclusion of development of high-speed rail and other quarters of the country. when i think about a trip that i took many years ago with my son from paris to the dirt on your region in france going from a densely populated urban area to a rural and mountainous region and high-speed railways and excluded the mayor. so i think the same can be